User:Joseph Groß/sandbox

Stöwer 40

In 1934, Germany designed a new generation of standardized vehicles for the Wehrmacht. Up until 1934, none of Germany’s wheeled vehicles were designed for military use only. They were either converted from commercial vehicles, or they were built as modified versions of commercial vehicles. The Stöwer 40 was used from 1936 onward.

Design

This generation of vehicle was not only looked at from a technical point of view, but also from an operational point of view. They were specifically tested to determine what layout best suited the crew.

These vehicles were denoted by purpose or type by the letters Kfz (Krafahrzeug) which had its own subclasses of 1.Pkw (light vehicle), m.Pkw (medium vehicle) and s.Pkw (heavy vehicle). These three main classes were broken up further by being broken down into the vehicles specific purpose, which was denoted by numbers. 1-10 denoted 1.Pkw, 11-20 denoted m.Pkw, and 21-30 denoted s.Kpw.

The 1.Pkw was considered the standard vehicle and all others were built of its’ chassis. The engine for the 1.Pkw was built by Stöwer BMW and Hanomag from 1936 onward. The engine was an AW2 and R180W water-cooled, 4-cylinder OHV petrol engine with dry-sump lubrication.

The chassis of the 1.Pkw consisted of a rectangular frame, supported by side and cross members. These bracings also supported the engine and transmission, which were located at the front of the vehicle. This chassis was the basis of the all other German light cars from 1936 onwards.